A recent analysis by Boyle Heights Beat showed there were 100 liquor vendors in Boyle Heights. A man walks pass the front of Brooklyn Liquor on the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and St. Louis Street. Photo by Kris Fortin

As the Boyle Heights Community continues to grapple with a lack of access to healthy foods, the liquor store business continues to thrive. For those trying to improve the charectar and image of Boyle Heights, this needs to change.

Boyle Heights Beat reported last week that the community has more than 31 percent more stores per square mile that sell liquor than Compton, Santa Monica and West Covina. With 100 stores that sell liquor in Boyle Heights, the area has 31 more than Compton and Santa Monica, and 43 more than West Covina.

Researchers contend that stores that sell liquor can contribute to urban decay and draw in crime, creating a risk for youth. Community groups are working to limit and ultimately reduce the number of liquor licensees in Boyle Heights. Boyle Heights Stakeholder Association, Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug Free Community and the Voice Community News hosted a community meeting on Thursday at Resurrection Church to discuss the issue.[2]

“This issue has been around forever in Boyle Heights. That’s how it feels. If you grew up in Boyle Heights, it’s the norm,” (says 26-year-old Denis Quiñonez, director of the Boyle Heights Coalition for a Safe and Drug Free Community.)